La Plata River
Spanish �R�o De La Plata, � river in east-central Puerto Rico, rising on the western slope of Mount Santa (2,963 feet [903 m]), a peak of the Sierra de Cayey. Part of the stream is impounded by Lake Carite; the reservoir's outlet diverts waters for a series of hydroelectric stations on the Guaman� River in the coastal Guayama area to the south. The La Plata itself flows about 45 miles (70 km) northwest and north, dropping
Argentina, The Gran Chaco
The harsh physical conditions of the Gran
Tobin, James
After taking degrees from Harvard University (B.A., 1939; Ph.D., 1947), Tobin spent 1941 - 42 as an economist with the Office of Price
Sazonov, Sergey Dmitriyevich
Having entered the foreign ministry in 1883, Sazonov, whose brother-in-law Pyotr Stolypin was Russia's prime minister from 1906 to 1911, obtained posts in the Russian embassies in London,
Enclosed Rhyme
Also called �enclosing rhyme� in poetry, the rhyming pattern abba found in certain quatrains, such as the first verse of Matthew Arnold's �Shakespeare�:Others abide our question. Thou art free.We ask and ask - thou smilest and art still,Out-topping knowledge. For the loftiest hill,Who to the stars uncrowns his majesty,
Paleoanthropology
Also spelled �Palaeoanthropology, �also called �Human Paleontology, � interdisciplinary branch of anthropology concerned with the origins and development of early humans. Fossils are assessed by the techniques of physical anthropology, comparative anatomy, and the theory of evolution. Artifacts, such as bone and stone tools, are identified and their significance for the physical and mental development of early humans interpreted
Fabula Palliata
The comedies retained the Greek stock characters and conventionalized plots of romantic intrigue as a framework to the satire of everyday contemporary life. The
Paragua�u River
Portuguese �Rio Paragua�u, � river, in central and eastern Bahia estado (�state�), eastern Brazil. It rises in the Diamantina Upland and flows northward and then eastward for approximately 300 miles (500 km). The river empties into Todos os Santos Bay, just below Maragogipe. It is navigable from its mouth for only about 25 miles (40 km) as far as Cachoeira. The region around its upper course yields black industrial
Robber Fly
Also called �Assassin Fly, � any predatory insect of the family Asilidae (order Diptera), numbering about 4,000 species, worldwide in distribution. These flies have variable lengths that range to almost 8 cm (3 inches). They are the largest of all flies. Most are dull in colour, and their stout bodies resemble those of bumble bees. Between the large-faceted eyes is a moustache of bristles. The long legs are adapted
Mercantile Agency
Specialized organization engaged in supplying information on the creditworthiness and financial strength of business firms in highly developed economies. The first such agency, the Mercantile Agency, was founded in New York City in 1841 to reduce credit losses. As businesses expanded from their local area to a national scale, many of them found it impossible to judge
Amorite
Member of an ancient Semitic-speaking people who dominated the history of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine from about 2000 to about 1600 BC. In the oldest cuneiform sources (c. 2400 - c. 2000 BC), the Amorites were equated with the West, though their true place of origin was most likely Arabia, not Syria. They were troublesome nomads and were believed to be one of the causes of the downfall of the 3rd
Sexual-predator Law
Statute that mandates lengthy periods of preventive detention for habitual sexual offenders and sexual psychopaths beyond their criminal sentences. Sexual-predator laws became popular in the United States in the 1990s, and their passage raised constitutional questions about double jeopardy and the balancing of the rights of offenders against those of the wider
Confession Of Faith
The medieval Christian Church did not attempt an official codification of
Yang, Chen Ning
Byname �Frank Yang � Chinese-born American theoretical physicist whose research with Tsung-Dao Lee showed that parity - the symmetry between physical phenomena occurring in right-handed and left-handed coordinate systems - is violated when certain elementary particles decay. Until this discovery it had been assumed by physicists that parity symmetry is
Georgia Platform
Drawn up by Charles J. Jenkins and adopted by a state convention on Dec. 10, 1850, at Milledgeville, the Georgia Platform consisted of a set of resolutions accepting the Compromise of 1850. It was not an endorsement of the compromise, but it said that Georgia would abide by the
Earth, Formation of igneous rocks
Igneous
Cumberland, William Augustus, Duke Of
During the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 - 48), he became commander of the allied forces (1745) and was severely defeated by France's Marshal Maurice
Kabardino-balkaria
Republic in southwestern Russia, on the northern flank of the Greater Caucasus range. It is divided into three main relief regions. In the south is the Greater Caucasus, the crest of which forms the boundary. Four mountain ranges - Glavny, Peredovoy, Skalisty, and Chornye - run parallel. The highest peaks are Elbrus (18,510 feet [5,642 m]) and Dykh-Tau (17,073 feet [5,204 m]). There are many, often extensive,
Lodge, Henry Cabot
Lodge received in 1876 the first Ph.D. in political science to be granted by Harvard University. He remained at Harvard for the next three years as instructor in American
Salekhard
Salekhard was founded in 1595 and became a city in 1938. Fish canning and sawmilling reflect the regional economy. It is also a base for the northern gas fields of western Siberia. Teacher-training
Papagos, Alexandros
Papagos, commissioned in 1906, saw his first service in the Balkan Wars (1912 - 13). He took part in the Greek invasion of Turkey (1919 - 22), won promotion to the rank of major general (1927), and became corps commander and minister of war (1935); the following year he was named chief of
Sukkoth
The Bible refers to hag ha-asif (�Feast of the Ingathering,� Exodus 23:16), when grains and fruits were gathered at the harvest's end, and to hag ha-sukkot (�Feast of
Feller, Bob
Feller was signed to a contract with the New Orleans Pelicans in 1935 and joined the Cleveland Indians mid-season in 1936. Initially Feller
Advertising Coloration
In animals, the use of biological coloration to make an organism unique and highly visible as compared with the background, thereby providing easily perceived information as to its location, identity, and movement. Such advertisement may serve the function of attracting individuals in order to enter into some advantageous interaction (e.g., courtship for reproductive
Electronic Music, Tape music
With tape music the history of electronic music in the narrower sense begins. This history seems split into three main periods: an early (by now classical) period lasting from the commercial introduction of the tape recorder immediately following World War II until about 1960; a second period that featured the introduction of electronic music synthesizers and the
Pribilof Canyon
A long submarine canyon rising from the Bering Abyssal Plain on the floor of the Bering Sea southeast of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska. It runs across the edge of the continental slope and is 265 miles (426 km) long with walls 6,000 feet (1,800 m) high. The canyon is characterized by a V-shaped valley with steep and rocky walls, and its floor is covered by sands and gravels. It is believed to have
